Method of making shoes



Feb; 23, 1943. F. L. AYERS 2,311,630

METHOD OF MAKING SHOES Filed July 29, 1941 jizwizi? y ffil, m1" W M W W Patented Feb. 23, 1943 UNITED STATES PATENT OFF-[CE METHOD OF MAKING SHOES Fred L. Ayers, Watertown, Mass.

Application July 29, 1941, Serial No. 404,499

2 Claims.

' In my Patent No. 2,065,786 granted December 29, '1936, for Shoe and method of making the same, there is disclosed a shoe wherein the lasted shoe is provided with a downwardly and outwardly projecting flange about at least the forepart, this flange being inserted and secured beneath an inwardly directed marginal flange on an outersole formed by an outwardly directed channel in the top face of the outersole. In practice it is difllcult to form the flanges on the lasted shoe and on the outersole of suflicient accuracy to insure proper fitting of the parts together throughout their full lengths when the outersole is applied. This is particularly so where the two flanges are relatively narrow.

An object of the present invention, therefore, is to provide a construction wherein the flnal accurate flt of the parts may be produced without requiring any great care in the formatio'n of these cooperating parts. To this end so much of the flange on the outersole is severed from the tread portion to form a rand as may be found convenient tofacilitat the engagement of the lasted shoe flange under the unsevered portion of the outersole flange, whereupon the rand portion of the outersole is returned and conformed to the mating portion of the lasted shoe flange without regard to whether its conformed position is the same as or different from its original position with respect to the outersole. Thus any inaccuracies between the two flanges are corrected by the new positioning of the severed or rand portion or portions of the outersole flange. The later finishing operations of the edge of the sole remove any indication of any variation in position of the severed flange portion or portions from their original positions so that this cannot be detected in the finished shoe.

For a more complete understanding of this invention reference may be had to the accompanying drawing in which Figure 1 is a perspective view of an outersole prepared in accordance with this invention for application to the lasted shoe.

Figure 2 is a sectional view on line 22 of Figure 1.

Figure 3 is a cross sectional view through a lasted shoe showing the outersole partly applied thereto.

Figures 4 and 5 are detail sectional views, similar to a portion of Figure 3, but showing the cut or rand portion of the outersole flange in its new position, these figures showing corrections for inaccuracies in opposite directions.

Referring to the drawing, in'Figures l and 2 is shown an outersole blank I channeled about the margin'of at least the forepart on its top face to form an inwardly directed flange 2. This channel may extend'around the forepart, or in addition in the shank portion, or, if desired, around the heel also. For a portion or portions of its length, this flange 2 is completely severed from the outersole as by a slit 3 to form a rand 4, including the flange 2. As shown in Figure 1 this rand portion extends throughout substantially one half of theforepart, being located on one side of the central line of the outersole, and preferably it is provided with a free end portion as at 5 which is tapered, the mating portion of the sole blank being similarly tapered as shown at 6 for a purpose which will later appear.

The shoe itself is lasted in any desired manner, but so as to form a downwardly and out wardly directed flange I thereon throughout the mating portion of the flange 2 and rand 4 of the outersole. This may be done in accordance with my Patent No. 2,065,786 to which reference has already been made, or it may be done in any other suitable manner so long as there is left on the lasted shoe and about a margin substantially commensurate in extent with that of the outersole flange 2, a downwardly and outwardly projecting flange l which maybe inserted beneath the flange 2 of the outersole when the outersole is attached in position. The portion of the flange 2 carried by the rand 4 is of'suiflcient extent to permit the rand to be pulled away from the outersole and the lasted shoe flange I inserted under the portionv of the flange 2 which has remained integral with the outersole I. This permits the flange l of the lasted shoe to be properly engaged beneath the integral outersole flange throughout substantially the entire lengths of this flange and the mating portion of the outersole flange and the parts may be cemented in this position, the cement being placed between the flanges of the outersole and lasted shoe and also preferably in the outersole channel 8 formed in cutting the flange 2.

The parts being thus properly conformed, the rand portion of the outersole is returned to position with its flange portion 2 overlying the mating portion of the lasted shoe flange, and this rand is cemented in position against the upper face of the outersole and against the upper face of the lasted shoe flange 1 coming opposite thereto. This allows for any failure to match up closely the contour of the flanges 2 and 1. Thus, if the lasted shoe is slightly too wide for the channeling of the outersole, assuming that one Should the widthwise dimensions of the lasted shoe flange be slightly narrower than the corresponding dimension of the outersole, when the rand is brought back into position, its outer edge is positioned inwardly of the outer edge of the tread portion of the outersole as shown in Figure 5. Any lack of registration of the 'outer edges of the tread portion of the outersole and the rand l is taken care of during the edge trimming and finishing operations. While as shown, one side of the forepart of the shoe outersole has been cut away to form the rand 4, it will of course be evident that more than one portion of the flange I may be formed in this manner, and that the particular location and proportions of the rand and the unsevered flange 2 may be varied widely in accordance with manufacturing conditions, it being only necessary that the rand be sufficiently extensive to permit the close engagement between the outersole and the lasted shoe flange throughout substantially its entire extent.

By forming one end portion of the rand gradually tapered, it may be returned and cemented to the shoe sole wherever it happens to come when engaged closely about the lasted shoe, any variations from its original position being taken care of by the long end taper which permits joining of the end of the rand to the shoe sole. After the outer edge of the outersole, including the rand 4, has been trimmed to its finally desired contour, there being sufllcient stock left in the outerskilled in the art that various changes and modiflcations might be made without departing from the spirit or scope of this invention as defined by the appended claims.

I claim: 7

1. The method of making a shoe whichcomprises lasting the shoe and providing thereon a downwardly and outwardly projecting marginal flange about at least its forepart, outwardly channeling the outer iaceof an outersole about its margin to form an inwardly directed flange substantially mating the marginal flange of the lasted shoe, and completely severing said outersole flange to form a rand for a portion 0! its length sufllcient to permit ready assembly of the outersole in position with the outersole flange overlying the. flange of the lasted shoe while leaving sufllcient of said inwardly directed flange integral with the outersole to define the proper assembled relative positions of the lasted shoe and outersole, so assembling said outersole and cementing the mating flanges together, and then conforming the rand portion to the mating flange portion of the lasted shoe and cementing the rand portion to said outersole and lasted shoe flange in its conformed condition.

2. The method of making a shoe which comprises lasting the shoe and providing thereon a downwardly and outwardly projecting marginal flange about at least its iorepart, outwardly channeling the outer face of-an outersole about its margin to form an inwardly directed flange substantially mating the marginal flange of the lasted shoe, and completely severing said outersole flange to form a rand for a portion of its length suflicient to permit ready assembly of the outersole in position withthe outersole flange overlying the flange of the lasted shoe while leaving suiflcient of said inwardly directed flange integral with the outersole to define the proper assembled relative positions of the lasted shoe and outersole, so assembling said outersole and cementing the mating flanges together, then conforming the rand portion to the mating flange portion of the lasted shoe and cementing the rand portion to said outersole and lasted shoe flange in its conformed condition, and thereafter trimming the outer margin of the outersole.

FRED L. AYERS. 

